An American Constitutional History Course for Non American Students
Lecture notes
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1. The Colonial Origins of the American Constitutionalism (PDF).
The Thirteen British Colonies. The First Permanent Settlement. The Pilgrims. The First Republican Settlers.
2. The Constitutions of the Revolution – 1776-1780 (PDF).
The First Constitution of the Revolution. The First Declaration of Rights. The First Radical Constitution. The First Constitution Ratified by the People.
3. The Process of Federation – 1776-1789 (PDF).
The Thirteen United States: the Declaration of Independence, 1776. The United States of America, in Congress Assembled, 1777-1781. The Federal State: The Constitution of the United States of America. The Constitution's ratification: The Federalist.
4. The First Changes to the Constitution (PDF).
The Bill of Rights or the first ten Amendments. Suits against the states: The Eleventh Amendment. The process of the President's election: The Twelfth Amendment. The Supreme Court of the United States and its constitutional function. Judicial Review: Marbury v. Madison. The Necessary and Proper Clause and the Federal supremacy: McCulloch v. Maryland. The Commerce Clause: Gibbons v. Ogden.
5. The Civil War and the Reconstruction Era (PDF).
The Constitutional Acknowledgement of Slavery: Dred Scott v. Sandford. The Executive Non-compliance with the Judicial Resolutions: Ex parte Merryman. The Military Commissions: Ex parte Milligan. The Reconstruction Amendments. The First Reconstruction Amendment: The Abolition of Slavery. The Second Reconstruction Amendment: The Citizens Rights. The Third Reconstruction Amendment: The Right to Vote and the Race. The Right to Secede: Texas v. White. The Stifling [gutting?] of the Fourteenth Amendment: The Slaughter-House Cases.
6. The Progressive Era and the New Deal (PDF).
Income tax: The Sixteenth Amendment. The election of Senators: The Seventeenth Amendment. The Prohibition: The Eighteenth and Twenty-first Amendment. Women's suffrage: The Nineteenth Amendment. The Presidential and legislative terms: The Twentieth Amendment. The Supreme Court opinions during the Progressive Era and the New Deal. The Contractual Freedom and the Legislative Power: Lochner v. New York. A frustrated President: A.L.A. Schechter Poultry Corp. v. United States. The End of the Lockner Era: West Coast Hotel Co. v. Parrish. The Labor Unions Rights: National Labor Relations Board v. Jones & Laughlin Steel Corporation.
7. Civil Rights in the Second Half of the 20th Century (PDF).
The Constitutional Amendments of the Second Half of the 20th Century. Presidential Tenure: The 22nd Amendment. Poll Taxes: The 24th Amendment. Voting Age: The 26th Amendment. Congress Salaries: The 27th Amendment. The Supreme Court opinions on Civil Rights. Ending Racial Discrimination: Brown v. Board of Education. Rights of Detainees & Police Duties: Miranda v. Arizona. The Right to Abort: Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. The Rights of Unauthorized Immigrants: Plyler v. Doe.